Fears
by WildeRavenclaw
Summary: Nick and Judy have been working as parters for a while now. They begin to fall for each other, but are afraid of losing their friendship. When a new, particularly dangerous case starts to complicate everything, they'll discover their worst fear is not what they thought it was.
1. Chapter 1: A new day

Officer Nicholas P. Wilde closed his new apartment's door behind him. He was still getting used to it, but in a way it made him feel much better. He could remembered the day he got it. It had been thanks to Judy, actually. When the Night Howler's case ended, and he had become a police officer, the first thing he had wanted to do was getting a place to live. He had tried to hide the fact from Judy, but he couldn't. She was really clever, and somehow knew everytime he was hiding something. She tried not to make a big deal about it, though. It was quite a delicate subject for both, "specially with Carrots being so emotional", Nick had thought. She had held his paw in hers, and offered to help him. He, after a quick pun exchange with the bunny, had agreed. But they never thought they would have such a hard time finding for a place. Nick was still a fox, and many mammals would not trust him. After their third rejection, the fox just sighed, a little bit stressed. But Judy was absolutely furious. Nick was truly surprised by her reaction. He had expected all this distrust, but she was determined to help him.

-Carrots, just calm down. It's not a big deal, really. I'll find another apartment. Maybe a bigger one -he smirked mischievously- so I can convince you to leave those noisy neighbors you have and move in with me

It had worked just enough to take Judy out of her enranged state. She turned her head and stared at him, straight into his eyes, raising an eyebrow

-You sly fox, -she grinned- I should've guessed this was all just a plan to get me to share an apartment with you

Nick heart's skipped a beat at the thought. Having dinner together everyday, watching movies together late at night, walking back home together after work. Hundreds of possibilities rushed through his mind, his pulse accelerating just with the idea of his favourite bunny and him spending even more time together. _Cause that's what best friends usually do, right?_

 _-_ What? Is the thought of living with a fox _so_ scary for you? -he tried to wipe those thoughs away of his mind. He had been trying for a while, to be honest. Yes, yes, she was his _best friend_. But sometimes he would find himself dreaming of being something else for her. Someone she would never ever want to let go.

" _But it would ruin our friendship"_ he reminded himself, not for the first time _"if something went wrong between us, I would not bear it"_

She laughed

-Yes because I'm not used to spend my time with a fox _at all_.

They laughed together, and continued joking until Judy had an idea. Half an hour later, they were celebrating that Nick had finally gotten a place for living. They had asked at Judy's building, and found out there was an available place two floors above Judy's. Everything had gone perfectly after that.

Now, Nick sighed, bringing his mind back from the memory as he began going downstairs, to meet Judy at her door before heading to Precint 1. Together.

 _"At least I can have that"_ he thought.

Two floors below, Officer Judy Hopps was getting ready too. After a quick glance to the mirror to check her badge was right in place, she grabbed her keys and her cellphone, and sat down to wait for Nick. But it was becoming late.

She sighed, stood up and went upstairs to wait for her partner at his door. She had been excited at the thought of surprising Nick and rushed herself so much, that she didn't notice the fox coming down, and accidentally ran into him in the middle of the stairs. She squealed and lost her balance, but he grabbed her paw and pulled her before she fell backwards.

-Carrots, are you okay?

The look of concern in his eyes, the warmth of his paw still holding her, the hint of _something_ in his voice she could not define, made her wonder what would she feel if the fox closed the distance between them and held her in his arms.A new, unknown emotion surprised her, running through her veins, filling her with some different, wonderful sensation she had never felt before. She leaned in closer, blushing furiously, but the expression of surpirse in his face made her stop.

 _"What if he rejects you, Judy?"_ A little voice in her mind asked " _You are_ best friends. _You can't ruin it like this"_

-Sorry Nick -she said -didn't see you were coming. Let's go.

She turned around, missing the mix of confusion and pain in her partner's eyes.

" _Oh carrots"_ he continued down the stairs, right behind Judy " _if you only knew..."_ he thought.

 **Hi everyone! Welcome to my first fanfiction ever! Any suggestions, observations, grammar corrections (english is not my first language, so please be kind) or anything else are really appreciated. Thank you very much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: We've got work to do

Judy was sitting in the huge-sized chair she shared with Nick at the station, pretending to be listening at chief Bogo's instructions for the day. The fox and the bunny were side by side, almost touching, but the bunny was too lost in her thoughts to notice the fox, and his unusual silence. Her head was currently busy, being haunted by dozens of questions, and mentally slapping herself for what had happened earlier at their building stairs.

 _"_ What _were you_ thinking _, Judy? Were you thinking at all? He is your friend, your_ best friend! _Why would you want to suddenly become so emotional? What he if he doesn't wants you that way? He won't want you like that, you'll just scare him away! He could even ask Chief Bogo to change his partner or something like that."_

Judy froze. Would he do that? Would he be so disgusted as to avoid her?

" _He cares about you Judy. He's your friend. He is always there for you. As partners, in every case, he's never left you behind. And even while off duty. He may not see you as nothing more, but he would definitely not avoid you...Right?"_

She turned to look at Nick, somehow trying to find an answer for her own question, and felt her heart flutter when she noticed he was already staring at her. They were sitting so close, their muzzles were now barely a couple inches away. His eyes widened, and her ears dropped behind her head.

-So, -he said, quckly composing his expression with a cunning smirk - is my charm too out of control today, Fluff?

" _He can't notice, he can't notice, HE CAN'T NOTICE"_

 _-_ I thought such a sly fox would come up with a better way of calling my attention- she rolled her eyes, hoping he really wouldn't notice how certain he was.

-What do you me..-

-Wilde, Hopps! - They hadn't notice the Chief was already giving out their assignments until they heard their names. - There's been a robbery outside a Snarlbucks shop. A black van owned by a zebra. I need you to investigate this to make sure there's nothing else about it, because it seemed really well planned to be just a random objective. Apparently, they had been following it for a couple of days, to know the driver's routine, or waiting for the perfect moment. I don't know, that's why you'll go out there, and find everything there's to know about this suspicious matter. Clawhauser will give you the details. Now, dismissed!

They both jumped off the chair and hurried to the reception, where the cheetah was enjoying his morning coffee in his Gazelle's mug, with a half eaten donut in is paw.

-Hey, Clawhauser-Judy said - do you have the file with the details of the van robbery?

-Of course Judy! Wait a second, I have them right here! -He carefully left his donut on the desk and turned around.

Meanwhile, Nick, standing a little bit behind Judy, stared at her, wondering which would be the worst thing that could happen if he revealed his feelings for her.

" _She could say we can only be friends. Would it be that bad? I could still spend all the time I wanted with her, and be her partner. But would it be the same?"_ He remembered the way she had blushed that morning, back at their building, before running away. _"She looks so pretty when she blushes. Maybe she did because she likes me too."_ He thought, with a glint of hope. " _But what happens then?"_ a voice in his mind asked _"What if the way you feel becomes something more? If you fall for her? What will you do if you fall in love, and it all ends wrong?_ "

He had no answer for that. Could he end up falling for his best friend?

-Here, Nick -Judy's voice brought him back to the present- take a look - she handed him the folder and he did as she said. The details of the little incident were not many, but they had worked with almost no clues and a very limited amount of time, and still managed to work it out.

-Come on carrots - he said - we've got work to do.

 **Hi everybody! Welcome back! Thank you so much for your support! Your reviews and follows make me feel really good. I promise I'll do everything I can to upload a chapter every day. Again any suggestion, idea, or correction is welcome ;)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: What's going on here?

-His name is Samuel Clawson -Nick said - He's the owner and reported the robbery as soon as he could make it to the station.

They were walking out of the building, Nick had the file opened in his paws, in a position that allowed Judy to take a look over his shoulder. Apparently, the leopard had parked the van outside of a Snarlbucks to get himself some coffee, and walked out right in time to see his van turn the corner. He hadn't seen the driver, but he found a backpack right next to the spot where the back of the van had been. He didn't recognize it, so he had taken it with him and it was now being kept at the Precint, as evidence.

-We could go back and find out what's inside that backpack - Judy suggested- or perhaps look for some clue the cameras may have registered.

-If the backpack did belong to the thief, it was a major mistake to leave it behind.-Nick stated - However, if this was as well planned as Bogo thinks, he may have left in _on purpose._ And about the cameras, he was surely careful to avoid them. -he shrugged -Maybe we should go back and look for that bag.

Judy raised an eyebrow, quite impressed.

-I should have known that having a hustler as partner would be so useful

-Oh, you know you love me, _dumb bunny._

She blushed slightly before answering

-Do I know that? Yes. - he felt a little warmth creeping up from his chest, all the way up to his face; as she looked straight in his eyes, as she said -Yes I do.

And before anything else, she grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the ZPD building.

Clawhauser was eating donuts when he saw them come in. He was about to ask what had brought them back so soon, when he saw Nick's bewildered expression. Everyone at the Precint knew Nick was _not_ an emotional mammal. He would never let anyone see the way he really felt, anyone but Judy. He always managed to escape from every serious insinuation with a smart joke. But recently, Clawhauser had noticed some changes in Nick's attitude. The way he looked at Judy, specially when she was not aware of his glances; the way he behaved around her; that gleam in his emerald eyes. The cheetah knew that Officer Wilde was beggining to feel something more for his partner, and was having a hard time hiding it, but respected them enough to not push the matter. It was _their_ thing to realize, and as Nick seemed pretty sure of his feelings, Judy seemed to be quite confused yet.

-Hey, Ben -the bunny caught Clawhauser's attention - who's at the evidence's room today?

-Delgato - the cheetah answered- Fangmeyer arrived late today, and Delgato waited for him. So now he's at evidence's and Fangmeyer at Files.

-O-oh- yeah - Judy was a little bit embarassed by the fact that she had been so busy paying attention to Nick, she didn't notice them being late - I'd forgotten that. We'll uh..we'll go, there's some evidence we need to solve this -she waved the folder as her ears dropped, before leaving with Wilde behind.

He didn't dare to say a word as they both walked towards the elevator. It was obvious she was dealing with many emotions at the same time, and Nick, who usually would have joked about her distraction, knew she needed a little time to clear her head so they could focus on work. So he waited until the elevator's door closed to tell her:

-Hey Fluff, calm down. - he smiled - It'll all be fine. Everyone has rough days.

She looked into his eyes, and all the embarassment, anger against herself for her lack of attention...everything she was feeling quietly dissolved. Her heart rate began to slow down, as Nick's started to accelerate due to everything he saw in her eyes. Or at least wanted to see. He was too smart to get his hopes high for nothing. He was a fox, and she was a bunny. It just couldn't be.

-Are you trying to say you don't have rough days, like every mammal, Officer Wilde?

She could hear his heart beating loud and fast against his chest, but his smirk was the same as usual, and there was nothing different in his face.

" _Could he...? I don"t think so. He is a fox, and you are just a dumb bunny. Why would he be nervous around you?"_

-I'm not a normal mammal, officer Hopps, - he raised an eyebrow and grinned -thought you arleady knew that - he said, as the elevator's doors opened

-Of course I know that - she smiled, walking towards a desk that was right in front of the elevator - you're just a silly fox.

-You dumb bunny - he chuckled as they walked together

-Oh, you know you love me, Wilde

They both laughed before he answered

-Do I know that, Carrots? Yes, yes I do.

-Just ask her out already, Wilde - a deep voice, coming from the other side of the desk, interrupted them. Delgato, sittin in a huge chair, was rolling his eyes.

-I would gladly do so, but I'm afraid we've got some bad guys to catch here- Nick smile widened

-We are investigating a robbery,-Judy intervened- and the file says there was some evidence, so...

-Yeah, I just have to write your names and the code of your file, and you can go in.

They gave him the code and quickly headed off to the door that led to evidence's room.

Inside, they found rows and rows of shelves. Some of them were empty, but a fair amount of them had boxes, which were labeled. Judy and Nick's file was 157. They walked between the shelves, looking for the box with the same number. After some minutes, Nick spotted it. It was as close to the ground as the shelve allowed.

-I was beggining to think we were going to end up climbing these things - he joked - it's good to know I won't have to leave the ground.

-Is Nicholas Wilde afraid of heights? -Judy asked as she reached for the box

-Actually, I was wondering how we were going to bring that backpack down - a smile formed in his muzzle. A real smile. One that Judy had only seen when they were alone. Her heart fluttered as she thought about it.

 _"He only smiles truthfully when we're together_ "

" _You can't be sure about that_ " a voice answered her

" _Why not?"_

" _Because you don't know what he does when he's off duty and you're not around. Maybe he smiles like that with some other friends, or some other girl. What do you know about him, anyways?_ "

Suddenly, she froze. What if there was someone else?

 _"Then why does he behave like this with me? Is that what best friends do when they're just best friends and nothing else?_ "

" _Why is this important anyways?"_

-Hey, Carrots, what's wrong? - His voice brought her back from her thoughts

-I...just - she sighed - sorry Nick. Too many things inside my head, I guess.

-Come on, Carrots, I know something's bothering you - he was standing halfway between the bunny and the box that Judy, lost in her thoughts, had forgotten about - I know this may not be the right time but, if...well if you need help or anything just...you can tell me, Judy. I'm right here.

She looked at his eyes feeling something new, something she had been fighting for too long, and finally admitted it to herself, as she jumped and hugged him, much to his surprise.

 _"Sweet cheese and crackers, how I like this fox"_

-Thanks Nick - she said, still holding him

-Anytime, Fluff, you know it- he stroked her back softly- we could have a talk when our shift ends, if you want

-The backpack! - she squeezed him a little before letting him go and turned towards the box. They opened it and took the backpack out

Nick pulled the black zipper, not knowing what to expect. Judy stood beside him, quite dissapointed, when they found it just contained some tools and a folder with papers.

-Perhaps he used them to open the van?

-Something doesn't fit here -Nick was confused. He opened the folder, just to keep his paws occupied wuile he thinked of an explanation, and his heart fell to his knees.

-Judy- his voice was trembling, fear spread across his face. She turned too look at him, alarmed by the fact he had used her name instead of just "Carrots" - Judy, the Chief was right. There's something _really bad_ going on

Officer Nicholas Wilde had never been more scared

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I know, I know, I'm a horrible person. Sorry for not posting yesterday, I had some problems with my internet connection. But hey, I already have started with the next chapter! Do you want me to upload it when I finish? Or should I wait until tomorrow?**

 **Thanks for all the follows, favs and reviews! I hope you are enjoying this as much as I do. Sorry if this chapter was too long, I got too excited haha**

 **Thanks a lot for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4 : Worst fears

Nicholas P. Wilde, as Clawhauser and every other Officer at the Precint knew, was _not_ an emotional mammal. Yet, when he opened that folder, he felt a wave of fear rush over his body.

The first thing he saw, was a picture of himself, and his partner, walking together on the sidewalk of their building. It had been a day off, a couple of moths ago, and they went out to have breakfast together. Just as friends, nothing special. But that day he noticed he was starting to feel something special for Officer Judy Hopps. Something deeper that friendship. Someone had taken that photo from across the street, and it meant two things:

The most obvious one was that somebody had been following them, for at least two months. The second one, was that whoever had been doing so, knew where Judy lived, and, of course, Nick too. And if they had been taking photos, it couldn't mean anything good.

Below that picture, Nick saw another one, again showing them together, this time having lunch during their free hour while on duty. The bunny appeared laughing, and the fox, sitting next to her, was looking at Judy with an unmistakable expression. He felt a shiver down his spine when he noticed how evident his feelings for his best friend were, at least in that photo. It had been taken _inside_ the small cafeteria they had been at. Whoever had taken it, _had been inside, a few feet away from them._

-Judy - he called his partner, his voice still trembling - Judy this is so wrong -her eyes told him she had just reached the same conclusions he had - why would anybody _do this?_

He gave her the folder and sat on the floor, letting his walls just dissappear, groaning as he reached the floor. The bunny continued to look through the papers, while the fox tried to calm himself down.

-Nick -her voice, weakened by fear, made him feel a sudden urge to protect her. - You have to look at this.

-I think I've seen enough, Carrots. They know where we live! _They're after us!_ What else should I need to know?

-They're after us - she mumbled - because of this

He stood up and rushed himself to her side. She showed him another paper from the folder. It was a picture of them, going out of her building that breakfast day. With a red marker, someone had circled his and Judy's face, and written " **Predator** " and **"prey** " next to each. At the bottom of the photo, Nick could read a single word, written with the same red ink: " **Wrong** ".

His eyes widened in surprise. Why would anybody take so much effort if they were so pissed about them being together?

" _They want you away from her._ " he thought

But then, Judy turned the paper. It was a picture with some words scribbled above and below them.

" _Prey and predator relationships are wrong. Predators are dangerous. Zootopia has to know_."

The picture was fuzzy and unfocused. It was hard to decipher, but after a moment they realized somebody had taken it from the security cameras from the museum, the day they caught Bellwether. It was Nick, pretending to attack Judy. With two words beneath.

 _"Show them"_

When Officer Wilde was nothing more than a con fox, he had certain fears. Of being caught, or having his plans ruined were the "worst" for him. When he met Judy, he had been afraid to trust her, until she saved his life at Rainforest district. Lately, his worst fear had been Judy discovering how bad he had it for her. Because he was a fox, and she a Bunny, and they were best friends. If she discovered his feelings, and didn't feel the same, it would ruin not only their friendship, and their partnership, but the image they had been giving to the city about predators and preys getting along with each other. Everything they had fought for would crumble down.

But now, standing next to her, with that folder opened in their paws, at the Precint's evedience room, he realized his worst fear had changed in a second. He _knew_ they didn't want to chase them. They wanted to hurt them. They wanted to use Nick, make him attack Judy; because somehow they knew that was the only way they could get to him.

 _"They want me to hurt her"_

-Nick - her voice was no longer a whisper, and it called his attention - Nick look at me

He did so. He looked into her eyes, surprised not to find fear, or worry, or a hint of doubt. Everything he could find in her beautiful, amethyst eyes, was determination.

-That is not going to happen. Ever. - she stated

-Of course not. I'm not letting it. I'll talk to Chief Bogo. Ask him to change your partner for this ca...

-If you do that, they'll find you more easily.-she interrupted- You won't have a smart little bunny to watch your back -she winked. A combination between a laugh and a sigh escaped his lips

-Carrots, what do you think will happen if we get caught _together?_ -he asked, visibly angry - Don't you see how dangerous this is? They don't want to catch us, they want to make me hurt you!

-And would you do it?

-Of course not! -he raised his paws in exasperation -Judy, you are the most...-he stopped, realizing just in time what he had been about to say.

 _"Judy, you are the most important thing to me"_

 _-_...the most amazing friend I've ever had. -His voice almost broke in that word. Almost - I would never in my life do anything to hurt you. But what if they have another serum? What are we going to do then? Finallygive a use to the huge vial of antidoye you carry everywhere you go? - he rolled his eyes.

-We'll sort it out - she looked a little disappointed -we uh...we should talk to Bogo, anyways. Show him this -her ears were behind her head, her gaze down - come on.

She grabbed everything they were going to need and made her way out of the room, with the fox behind her.

'" _I don't know what you were going to say Nick, but you are the most incredible fox I know. The best parter I could have ever wished for. The most important person in my life. And I'm afraid that best friends is not enough for me anymore."_

She wanted to turn around and face him. To tell him everything she was feeling for him, how she felt about their friendship, how she may be wanting something more. But she didn't. He would never say how he felt, he would never open up that way. And besides, they had a case to solve.

* * *

 **Hi there! How are you doing? Did you like this chapter? I wanted it to end a little bit further into the story, but I really like where this is going. I have already planned the next few chapters. Actually, I'll start writing the next one right now, and if I manage to finish it without interruptions, I'll post it immediately. As usual, any suggestion, correction, observation or random thought you want to share is more than welcome.**

 **Thanks for all your support, you make my days special!**


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